Updated Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Exposed and HIV-Infected Children Released

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announce the release of the updated Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Exposed and HIV-Infected Children. The guidelines were simultaneously published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal (PIDJ).   Selected key updates to the guidelines include the following: Greater emphasis on the importance of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections (OIs), especially those OIs for which no specific therapy exists; Increased information about the diagnosis and management of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS);  Information about managing ART in children with OIs, including potential drug-drug interactions;  Updated immunization recommendations for HIV-exposed and HIV-infected children, including pneumococcal, human papillomavirus, meningococcal, and rotavirus vaccines; Addition of sections on influenza, giardiasis, and isosporiasis; Elimination of sections on aspergillosis, bartonellosis, and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and HHV-7 infections; and  Updated recommendations on discontinuation of OI prophylaxis after immune reconstitution in children. In additio...